Turn Passion Into Progress In Life

After 26 years in sports journalism, I'm well aware that everyone has a story to share.

But it's still a pleasant surprise when I get to hear one of those stories firsthand - like one I heard recently at a local convenience store in southern Brunswick County.

As I entered the store, I read a sign on the door stating that the main beverage cooler had malfunctioned again – and I got the sense that again meant much more than twice.

A feeling that was confirmed a minute or two later – in the way we in today’s society ordinarily have our feelings confirmed regarding frustrating instances like that.

With the employee working at that time hearing all about the inconvenience created by the malfunctioning beverage cooler from a frustrated customer on his way out the door.

I grabbed my drink from the small cooler that was still cold, walked to the counter, and asked how she was doing – although I already had a good idea what she would say.

Or so I thought.

Then I heard all about her side hustle knitting blankets and other items that she sells to make extra money - and suddenly her mood perked up a bit...

Because she was talking about her passion, not her paycheck.

It's a reminder that jobs pay the bills, but passion makes you feel alive on a day when the frustration of others weighs on us. It’s also a reminder to me why I do what I do – because my passion and my paycheck come from the same venture.

Moreso, it’s a welcome reminder to me how important it was for me to start my health and wellness journey – and finally stick to it long term too – nearly 16 years ago because of the integral role that it has played in how my life has changed for the better.

We all have control over how our life unfolds, even if there are times when we think things happen by chance or coincidence. But we all have a choice, and the next choice we make determines what happens next, followed by the next choice.

I was grossly overweight nearly two decades ago. That was a choice. No one else in my family has ever been as overweight as I was at nearly 250 pounds. So, the only way I could have reached that unhealthy level was by making choices that led to it happening.
Then I lost 75 pounds. The choice to take on that challenge, and all the choices I made every day the next 14 months and since then – altered the course of my life for good.

And not simply physically. When we make the choice to take care of ourselves – and then follow through on it long term – we begin to grow the discipline and confidence needed to make good choices day after day in all facets of our lives.

Even on days when discipline and confidence waver, the quality habits we have formed over time consistently take over to help us make the best choices time after time.

And on days when life does nothing but get in the way of your needs and goals, we turn to those same habits to guide us to the results we want.

Of course, it takes work – every day. I know when frustration, disappointment and all other negative feelings we feel arise, I head into the Vicnasium - home of Fernandes Fit in Bolivia - close the doors and lift heavy things and put them down in peace and quiet.

Then I focus on the Fernandes Fit family - the great, hard-working clients who I get to channel my passion into every day. I don't take that for granted, but if I do, it's stories like the one I heard at that convenience store recently that will set me straight.

At Fernandes Fit, Fitness Is Our Business – but it’s the people who do the work to turn their lives into personal success stories that inspire so many people like me.

So, if you have personal and professional goals in mind you want to accomplish, but you struggle with the biggest goal we ever face – our health – it’s time for us to talk.

If we take control of our health and wellness, that provides the tools we need to take control of other facets of our lives.

Contact me at 814.504.7774 or by email at [email protected] to get started. You can also get more information on my website at fernandesfit.com to learn more about why…Fitness Is Our Business.